1971 Muhammad Ali Fight Worn & Signed Robe from Frazier I
Bout....

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Description

Ali blames "Fight of the Century" loss on the color red!

1971 Muhammad Ali Fight Worn & Signed Robe from Frazier I
Bout. They had fifty-seven professional bouts between them,
each and every one a victory, all but nine by way of knockout. Both
fighters owned a legitimate claim to the Heavyweight Championship
of the World, though only Frazier held the title officially, Ali's
reign ended not by combat but by his opposition to it. This refusal
to enter the Vietnam draft had established Muhammad Ali as the most
polarizing figure in American sports, fueling an antipathy within a
segment of the American populace unseen since the reign of Jack
Johnson.

Others hailed Ali's principled stand, drawing a stark line between
the two camps' supporters. Those who supported the Vietnam War and
the failing cause of racial segregation stood with the reigning
Champion, while the anti-war crowd, and those who favored the Civil
Rights movement, saw Ali as their athletic standard-bearer. On one
point both sides could agree: this was far more than a simple
boxing match.

Each combatant was guaranteed $2.5 million for the bout, a record
purse that lent perspective to the enormity of the contest. The
fight sold out a month before the event with ringside seats
commanding a record $150, with even Frank Sinatra unable to get his
hands on one. And so Old Blue Eyes was issued one of the seven
hundred working press credentials issued at Madison Square Garden,
taking photos for Life Magazine in order to get close to the
action. Silver screen star Burt Lancaster worked the mic as a fight
commentator. Celebrated sports artist LeRoy Neiman sketched the
fight at ringside. The bout was quite literally the most
star-studded event in Big Apple sports history.

It was Muhammad Ali who dominated the early rounds, showcasing the
deft footwork and pumping jab that had become his trademark.
Frazier stalked the elusive former Champion looking to uncork the
devastating left hook that had spelled doom for many of his earlier
victims, the classic foil of puncher to Ali's boxer. Slowly the
tide began to turn, the frenetic pace more typical of a
middleweight battle and Frazier's sledgehammer blows exposing the
ring rust of the former Champion. Ali continued to paw at Frazier's
face, but the answers came with far more punishing authority, and
in the late rounds it was evident that only a knockout could
salvage the night for the Louisville Lip.

And in the fifteenth, those rooting for a knockout nearly got their
wish, but it was Ali who was sent to the canvas, a crushing left
hook at 2:34 of round fifteen that served as the exclamation point
to Frazier's dominating victory. All three judges declared Frazier
the victor.

For a man whose entire persona had been constructed upon a granite
foundation of self-confidence, the loss at the Garden hit Ali like
a Frazier left hook, and his search for answers turned quickly to
superstition. Though the vanquished former champion had
characterized his chosen garb in the March 4, 1971 issue of The New
York Times as "A red and white king's robe," he expressed to his
entourage after the defeat that he believed his infidelity to his
tried and true black and white color palette had been his fatal
error. He'd never wear red again.

So if the Red Sox had its Curse of the Bambino and the Cubs its
Curse of the Billy Goat, then Muhammad Ali had the Curse of the Red
Robe. The ultimate symbol of Ali's first defeat, it also serves as
a compelling commemoration of the character trait that would come
to define him--unbreakable perseverance. He'd rise from the ashes
of his first professional loss to outpoint Frazier in a tight
decision in 1974, and then skate along the precipice of death in
one of the most harrowing title fights in boxing history to achieve
TKO victory in the fabled Thrilla in Manila rubber match.

"Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down," Ali
would say. "It's staying down that's wrong."

As with the bulk of the finest Ali artifacts populating our hobby,
this robe derives from the abandoned storage locker of Drew
"Bundini" Brown, the source of trunks and gloves from the Rumble,
the Thrilla, etc. The Frazier I robe bears the lot tag from the
1988 Sartain Auction that represents its first public sale.

A perfect match to photography and video of the bout, the red
velvet garment announces "Muhammad Ali" in white tackle twill on
verso, underscored by a bold black sharpie autograph applied when
the three-time Champ was still able to produce quality signatures.
Belt, collar and trim appears in sleek white satin. The robe has no
maker's label, a custom creation. This most recognizable Ali robe
available to the collecting community presents without any
condition problems to report, a gorgeous showpiece from the most
heralded bout of the twentieth century. LOA from Craig Hamilton.
LOA from Heritage Auctions.Full LOA from PSA/DNA.